Short Treks: CBS All Access orders Star Trek: Discovery spin-off

Following the surprise hit of the first season of Star Trek: Discovery, CBS All Access announced at Comic Con on Friday that it has ordered a short-form spin-off entitled Short Treks that will debut in the fall.

The spin-off will consist of four episodes of 10-15 minutes. Each short will be an opportunity for deeper storytelling and exploration of key characters and themes which fit into Star Trek: Discovery and the expanding Star Trek universe.

Rainn Wilson will return to play Harry Mudd in a short he will also direct, and Aldis Hodge will star in another as Craft, a man who finds himself the only human on board a deserted ship. Additional episodes include a deep dive into Saru’s (Doug Jones) backstory as the first Kelpien to join Starfleet, and Tilly’s (Mary Wiseman) journey aboard the U.S.S. Discovery and her friendship with an unlikely partner.

“There is no shortage of compelling stories to tell in the ‘Star Trek’ universe that inspire, entertain, and either challenge our preconceived ideas or affirm long held beliefs, and we are excited to broaden the universe already with SHORT TREKS,” said Kurtzman. “Each episode will deliver closed-ended stories while revealing clues about what’s to come on in future STAR TREK: DISCOVERY episodes. They’ll also introduce audiences to new characters who may inhabit the larger world of ‘Star Trek.’”

The second season of Star Trek: Discovery is set to debut sometime in early 2019.